Desperado
by Irena Goddess of Imagination
Summary: Sequel to "Outsider." If you haven't read it first, there is a brief recap in chapter 1, so you can read this one alone, though some parts may still seem confusing. After a series of unusual, theatrical murders occur in Chicago, the BAU goes to investigate, but is forced into a shaky alliance to solve the case. Set around the middle of season 9.
1. American Woman

**Author's Note:** Hello, lovely readers! Here is the sequel to "Outsider."

 **Warning!** This story is much more graphic with much more mature themes than the last one. Read at your own risk.

Also, if you are a big fan of Reid with Maeve, I wouldn't read this story.

I'm also going to leave here a sort of soundtrack of some songs I've been listening to for inspiration. I confess, I stole many of them from _Suicide Squad_ and many others are my guilty pleasure songs. If you're not a fan of _Suicide Squad_ , don't worry, the plot of this story has almost nothing in common with the movie. I just got some inspiration from the style of the movie.

"Soundtrack," which I recommend listening to while reading if you want to set the tone:

Black Sabbath\- "Iron Man" Jodi Benson\- "Part of Your World"

David Bowie\- "Ashes to Ashes" "DJ" "Moonage Daydream" "Queen Bitch" "Suffragette City" "Time"

The Eagles\- "Desperado" "Lyin' Eyes"

The Guess Who\- "American Woman" The Hollies- "The Air That I Breathe" Lesley Gore- "You Don't Own Me"

Lou Reed\- "Perfect Day" "Vicious"

Idina Menzel- "I'm Not That Girl" Queen\- "Love of My Life"

The Rolling Stones\- "Satisfaction" "Sympathy for the Devil"

Santana ft. Rob Thomas\- "Smooth" The Talking Heads\- "Psycho Killer" TWENTY ØNE PILØTS\- "Heathens"

And pretty much every song by P!nk ever.

Thank you and now, on with the story!

* * *

"My only love sprung from my only hate." - William Shakespeare

The police chief stood over the young woman's mangled body. In all his years of service, he'd seen brutal murders, spoken to rape survivors, and the families of those who didn't survive. He'd heard of killers psychologically torturing their victims before they killed them, but nothing, _nothing_ like this had ever happened in his jurisdiction before. What kind of sick, twisted mind would it take to do something like this to another human being? He wasn't trained to understand the minds of the criminals, only to catch them. He was going to need help, and a lot of it. He needed the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.

* * *

"I'm not saying that people who watch _Doctor Who_ are smarter, I'm just saying that a lot of very intelligent people are Whovians, like Stephen Hawking," Dr. Spencer Reid argued with Agent Derek Morgan. Derek should have known not to ask Reid about _Doctor Who_. It was like opening Pandora's Box.

"Okay. I get it, but I think I'll stick to watching hockey."

Then Penelope came in with her heels clicking on the floor. "Ooh! Are we talking about Doctor Who? Did you see the last episode where the Doctor—"

Morgan cut her off, "Talk to _him_ about it."

"Sorry, it's going to have to wait," said Hotch, "We've got a case."

"Looks like you get to spend some time with your family, Morgan, because three prostitutes and exotic dancers were found dead in Chicago and the surrounding area. The total body count so far is eleven. The victims were killed across county and state lines. No one realized that the cases were connected until both Chicago and Gary, Indiana PD's contacted us. The women were sexually assaulted and tortured, but this is where it gets extra weird. Their faces were painted to look like clowns and they were dressed in costumes ad displayed in very public places with circus props left all around them. Chicago PD has asked for our help on the case. They deal with violent crimes all the time, but the unique nature of these crimes has left them baffled," JJ presented to the team as they sat at around their round table.

Hotch cut in, "And because of the unique nature of these crimes, we've also summoned help. This is going to be… ah, unconventional, but working with us will be someone who knows more about the case than anyone."

"Hey, guys. Miss me?"

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No, Hotch. This can't be happening. You can't be serious.

This is what most of the team members were thinking when Ellen Rivers stepped into the room. Sans the elaborate costume and makeup, she only wore clown-themed office clothing: a black bow on her blouse; red lipstick, shoes, and nail polish; and a diamond-shaped hairpiece.

Hotch broke the team's stunned silence. "This is Miss Ellen Rivers. She'll be assisting us with this case. She says she knows who the unsub is, and we're going to confirm that."

As the team was still unable to speak, especially not Spencer, Hotch gave them the explanation they deserved. "Miss Rivers has agreed to help us with the case in exchange for a clean record. Rest assured, she's only here to help. Miss Rivers, if you would like to lead the presentation from here"

Ellen smirked briefly. "Thank you, Agent Hotchner. Your unsub really isn't an unsub at all. His name is Vincent Bauer, but on the streets he's known as 'Pierrot.' I have met him in person and studied his behavior until he was caught and taken to an asylum, from which he escaped 10 weeks ago."

By then, the team had recovered from the shock enough to continue with their jobs. Morgan went first. "Well he's clearly a sexual sadist, and possibly delusional, judging by the theatrics with the kills and the admission into a psych hospital."

"That's very possible, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to fake his way through a psych evaluation to be transferred to hospital instead of a prison. He's organized, plans ahead. He's also charming and manipulative. He once talked a guard into giving him a pencil, which he then stabbed the guard with."

The newest addition to the team, Alex Blake, spoke up next. "These women were probably surrogates for someone, maybe someone who rejected him. Most of the victims were brunettes, and the rest had their hair dyed. The question is: who are they surrogates for?"

"Me," said Ellen. "He knows I was the one who got him locked up in the first place. I flirted with him for a couple weeks to get close enough to gather the evidence needed to put him away."

"This man will be armed and very dangerous. Do not try to apprehend him alone. He's probably a sociopath and will stop anyone who gets in his way. Wheels up in thirty. Garcia and Miss Rivers will be coming along with us for this case," Hotch said before the team exited the room in silence.

* * *

Just before boarding the plane, Spencer pulled Ellen aside. "How did Hotch find you?"

"He didn't. I found him. I knew two of the victims."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you, but I'll I want to do is to catch the son of a bitch before he hurts anyone else. Before he was caught, he was a gangster who treated girls as disposable entertainment, but now he takes his time with them. His goal is to make them suffer."

"How did you find him in the first place?"

"I'll explain everything on the plane, but what I want to know is, how's my pretty boy? I haven't seen you in so long. You probably have hundreds of cases to tell me about."

"I'd like to focus on this one now."

"Okay. Also, your mother says 'hi.'"

"You've seen my mother?"

"Oh probably a dozen times since I saw you last. She's such a wonderful lady, and she tells the funniest baby stories about you. I didn't know you used to walk around the house in your mother's heels and lipstick."

"Why didn't she tell me she was seeing you?"

"I guess she's been a bit confused."

"I guess so."

As Ellen to a step towards the plane, Reid grabbed her arm to stop her. "Why did you come here?"

"What do you mean? We have a case. We can't just let all those girls die."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, why didn't you just go take care of it yourself?"

"You mean, why didn't I just kill him? Well, since it seemed so important to you, I thought I'd try things your way."

"You knew you could have been arrested the minute you contacted Hotch. I told my team everything I knew about you. You could've been risking your freedom by coming here. Why did you take that risk?"

"I knew I'd need help to find Pierrot the second time, plus, I wanted to see you again." She pulled at his tie seductively.

"Please don't touch me. You know I have a problem about germs," he said, irritated.

"I know. That's why I always carry hand sanitizer. And who's the new girl? She seems cool."

"That's SSA Alex Blake, our linguistics expert."

"I'll bet she's great at her job," said Ellen, secretly very relieved that Prentiss's replacement was too old to be romantically involved with him.

"She is."

"I can't wait to get acquainted with her." She took his hand and pulled him up the steps to the plane, "Now let's go catch a killer!"

Simultaneously, there was another conversation going on from the other end of the plane.

"So who is she? She's certainly not part of the Bureau," Alex asked Morgan.

He sighed, still trying to swallow the fact that he was being forced to work alongside a killer. "She's an unsub, or was. About two and a half years ago, we were investigating a string of murders where the victims were burned with their limbs cut off and dumped in a river. We concluded that the unsub was a vigilante, killing rapists and abusive parents and things like that. We never had any physical evidence to prove it was her, but we all know it was. She kidnapped Reid and took him to the location where she tortured her victims. She never hurt him, but apparently they knew each other as kids. He says that she came from a rough home life and she stuck up for him when the bullies picked on him, even if she was being bullied herself."

"And you never caught her, for over two years?"

"She's good at covering her tracks. She uses aliases, pays in cash, never leaves DNA behind, never stays in one place for very long. She's the perfect killer, I just wish Reid could see that?"

"What do you mean?"

Morgan suddenly found himself spilling his heart out to Blake. "I mean that I understand that this girl's been through hell, but that doesn't give her license to torture people, even if they are scumbags. Reid says he's staying objective on the case, but I know that isn't true. How could it be? They were childhood friends. I know he wants to protect her, but he needs to do his job, or else he could lose it. And it's frustrating to see him in this position. I can't stand seeing him feel so conflicted."

"I see. Well he's a smart kid, I'm sure he knows what the right thing to do is."

"I know, I just don't like the idea of having a killer working so close to us. Watch your back, just as a precaution. If our profile is right, then she won't hurt any of us, but we can't take any chances. Keep your guard up."

"Will do, but they way she looks at him, I think she's in love. She wouldn't hurt us if she knows we're his friends."

"I hope you're right."

She skipped girlishly and held her hand out to Alex. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ellen. My enemies know me as Columbina."

"You mean like the character from the Italian Commedia dell'arte? Now it makes sense. I can see why Bauer took a liking to you. Columbina was the wife of Pierrot."

Ellen stood motionlessly for a second, then said, "I love you. I thought only Spencer would know what my name meant."

"Well your real name means light."

"Wow. That's not what my parents called me." She turned to Garcia, "Excuse me, is that a vintage TARDIS bow in your hair?"

"Um, yes. It is." No one besides Reid had ever appreciated her Whovian accessories before. Where had this girl been all her life?

"Oh my god! Where did you get it?"

"I had to do a lot of digging, but my skills are unparalleled, so it couldn't hide from me for very long. You know, they say Jon Pertwee actually held this in his hand once."

"No way!"

"I know, right?"

"Have you seen the new season yet?"

"Of course I have! I heard that next season, the Doctor is going to-"

"Alright, let's review what we know about this case so far," said Hotch.

As Ellen turned around to look at him, Penelope mouthed to the rest of the team behind her back, "Let's keep her!" while wildly pointing at Ellen.

"Okay, Miss Rivers, we've got a few hours until we get to Chicago. Would you please fill us in on everything you know about Bauer?" asked Hotch as they all took their seats.

She took a deep breath, for she knew she would be speaking for quite a while. "Okay, where do I begin? I first heard word of Pierrot from some friends in the Chicago area. Now, Chicago is known more for gang-related crime, and I usually let the police handle that since a whole gang is too much for one girl to handle, but when I heard that dancers, prostitutes, and sometimes just girls wearing high heels were getting killed, I knew that there was something... different. Something was horribly wrong. So I went to Chicago myself and spied on him by going to his nightclub called The Masquerade. I observed him from a distance until I worked my way up to flirting with him and going on a few dates, gaining his trust. Us both being clowns, he fell for it pretty easily, and during my time with him, I gathered evidence and handed it over to the authorities. I was there when he was arrested and I was present for his whole trial. I did everything in my power to make sure he was locked up in the highest-security institution possible."

"If you had to give rough profile, what would it be?" asked Hotch.

"He gets off on power and control. He enjoys hurting and manipulating people, which he's good at. He thinks he's a big crime boss, but in reality, he just pays a few people to help him execute his plans. In fact, I don't think they even knew the full extent of his crimes until he was caught. And because he's so good at manipulating people, he's got his men staying loyal to him, even though he kills them at the first sign that they're betraying him. He's almost paranoid, always convinced that somebody's going to betray him. In my case, he was right. Like I said before, he's organized and plans ahead, but he's not as intelligent as you'd think. It was pretty easy for me to fool him, especially since I shared his affinity for clowns. Also like me, his affinity for clowns has taken up his whole life. He dresses in clown-themed clothes all the time, gives his men clown aliases, uses decorated weapons. His nightclub is decorated to look like a masquerade ball.

Now, I haven't seen him in person since he escaped. Some of this profile may have changed since then. It would seem that now his crimes are more revenge-motivated. I assume that he wants revenge against me. There's just something... different about him and his behavior now. I can quite put my finger on it yet, but if my intuition is correct, he's working towards some kind of master plan, and I'm afraid to find out what that plan is."

* * *

The man in white sat motionlessly and watched the dancer run her hands up and down her body. He stared her down and waved a generous amount of cash at her, making a mental note that he would pay her a visit later.

The girl continued her dance, completely unaware of the danger she would soon be in.

* * *

"Put on the dress! I said put on the damn dress!" he screamed at her. He made her change into the rainbow polka dot dress right in front of him, and there was nothing she could do since he had a gun pointed at her.

Such heavy tears were flowing out of her eyes that her makeup ran all the way down her cheeks.

"What do you want with me? I haven't done anything to you!" she cried.

"Oh no, sweetheart. You had me locked up in a cage for 10 months."

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't even know you!"

"I thought I knew you. I thought you were my friend, but then you turned on me!" he slapped her across the face. "But there is one way you can make it up to me."

He turned around and left her for a moment, not even long enough for her to get away, and he returned with a tray. On the tray was a set of face paint, makeup, and other costume necessities.

"You're going to be my doll," he said with a sinister chuckle, and he got to work painting the girl's face. "You're going to look so beautiful."

He started with a white cream as the base, then put a red dot on her nose and spread a red smile across her face, and finally, the eyes. The eyes would be the masterpiece. With his applicator, he delicately drew colorful diamonds over her eyelids and smacked her whenever she fidgeted or her tears messed up the makeup. Then all that was left was the hair. It was already dark enough, so all it needed was some curling, glitter, and a few bows.

When he was all finished, he kissed his work of art on the lips and said, "Now you're already."

"R-ready for what?"

"For me. When we're through, I wanna see your lipstick all over my body." He started unbuttoning his shirt and took out a knife from behind his back. The girl started screaming.


	2. Creep

**Author's Note:** I do not own anything by Radiohead. Please don't sue. I'm only a fan.

* * *

Shortly after landing, Agent Hotchner spoke to police chief. "Alright. I'll send someone there now. Rivers, Reid, another body's been found. I want you both at the scene now."

When they arrived, the officers were trying to shoo the flies away from the girl's mangled corpse. She was dressed in a rainbow polka dot dress with clown makeup painted all over her face. Her body was placed under a small circus tent in front of a fountain in one of the parks. The officers at the scene were having trouble keeping track of all the balloons that Pierrot had left with her.

Spencer knelt by the body and examined it closely. "There isn't much blood here for all the wounds she has. He must've done the torture at a secondary location. We could get a search warrant for his club."

"I don't think he's that stupid. He wouldn't take the girls to a place that could be so easily connected to him. Plus, my friends say they haven't seen him there in weeks."

"Usually when an unsub puts the body on display like this, it's either a sign of remorse, or the unsub is trying to send a message. We're pretty certain it isn't remorse, so what is his message?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a message for me. He wants to show me that I can't stop him. This is what he wants to do to me. I remember when I was with him, he was always trying to get me to wear more colorful outfits like this. I usually stick to red, black, and white, well some pink, blue and gold too, but you get the point."

The girl's skin was all cut up and stabbed with several bruises.

Ellen's had was clenched up in a fist, which Reid noticed. "Did you know her?" he asked.

"No, but it could have been someone I know." Then she turned to him and said, "When we catch him, I can't guarantee that I won't take things into my own hands. Since I saw you last, I've been trying to control myself, I really have, but I don't know if I can do that this time. He's done too much harm to people I care about. I need you to promise me something, Spencer. When we catch this guy, if I lose control, I need you to either let me do what I do, or hold me down."

"I promise."

"Thank you."

* * *

Back the police station, the two shared their findings with the rest of the team. When they were alone in the conference room, she accidentally knocked his satchel out of his hands and spilled its contents onto the floor.

"Oh jeez, I'm sorry," she apologized while returning the items to him. One of his books caught her eye. " _The Narrative of John Smith_. Hmm. Seems cool, but I'd rather read about aliens and dragons anyday. Where did you get this, anyway?"

He had hoped she wouldn't ask, for it was still a raw subject to him. "Uh, my, uh girlfriend. My girlfriend gave it to me."

These words hit her like a ton of bricks, no, more like a thousand punches to the gut. She forcibly extracted a smile from herself anyway. "Oh, your girlfriend? Why didn't you tell me you had a lady friend?"

"Because I haven't-haven't seen her in a while." He still couldn't bring himself to say the truth that she had been murdered right in front of him.

Her voice was unnaturally high from trying to fake excitement. "Well I'll bet she's amazing. What's her name?"

"Maeve. Doctor Maeve Donovan."

Of course she's a doctor, thought Ellen, of course Spencer would only be attracted to people with his level of intelligence. She would be a fool for ever thinking otherwise.

She did a quick search of this "Dr. Maeve Donovan" when no one else was around. "Goddammit! She has bigger tits than me!" Ellen couldn't help her small size. It's hard to grow and develope when your parents only feed you enough to keep you alive.

She felt like Ariel after she saved Prince Eric from drowning. What she wanted was right in front of her, but she couldn't have it. How she wished she could be part of his world.

"Anastasia Steele wannabe! Fuck you!" she said while stabbing a picture of Maeve that she had just printed out.

She knew it was petty and she knew that she shouldn't have her heart set on pursuing one man she hadn't spoken to in years, but after 18 years of abuse and 16 more of being on the run, seeing one of her only friends in the world fall for someone else was like a knife through the heart.

"Rivers, we have a few more questions to ask you," said Hotch, entering the room.

She hurriedly covered her mutilated picture and replied, "Sure. Anything you need."

As the rest of the team returned to the conference room, Hotch asked, "How did you capture Bauer the first time?"

"I'm sure it won't work a second time, but I'll tell you anyway. One night, after a few drinks, I let him lead me into his bedroom. I showed him a pill and told him it was some cool, new drug, but it was a sedative. He put it in his drink and led me onto his bed and kissed me, but before anything could happen, he fell asleep. When he woke up, he was in handcuffs and I was talking to the police.

I had so many opportunities when I could've killed him easily. That night he passed out drunk in the club. That day he took me swimming in Lake Michigan. That time he let himself fall asleep on my shoulder. I wanted to kill him so bad, but I didn't."

"I guess that makes you a real saint," Morgan said with a sarcastic bite.

"Morgan," Hotch warned.

"I'm sure you can imagine how this saint feels knowing that all those women, my friends, would still be alive if I had just killed him before," Ellen retorted with eerie calmness.

"Whatever it takes to rationalize your actions," Morgan continued.

"That's enough," interjected Hotch calmly. "We have all the information we need. Thank you, Miss Rivers. The rest of you, go see if the Chief has any new information."

One they had left, Hotch apologized to Ellen for Derek's behavior.

"It's no problem, but if it's alright, I think I'd like to take a moment to clear my head. I think best alone, and I think if I stepped out for a minute, I could be more efficient."

"Go ahead. Take some time, just be careful."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

The ladies of the BAU found her later in a small bar, but not drinking a single drop. Instead, she was on a small stage with a spotlight on her, a band behind her, and a microphone in front of her. Like clockwork, they got there just before the music started. There was something different about her demeanor as she sang. All her brazen confidence and attitude was long gone. She had been replaced by a somber and melancholy Ellen.

 _"You're so fuckin special, but I'm a creep."_

JJ, Penelope, and Alex, all having been in her shoes before, immediately understood.

 _"I don't belong here."_

As soon as the sound died, she quietly stepped out of the light and off the stage. The girls found her just as she was about to exit out a back door.

"Hey," Alex said to get her attention. Ellen seemed startled and surprised to see them there.

"Oh, hi," she said, quickly trying to compose herself. "How did you guys know I'd be here?"

"We're profilers, it's our job," joked JJ.

"Are you okay?" blurted out Penelope without thinking. She wished she could control her mouth instantly after speaking.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. That was just a character I was playing up there," she quickly said to cover herself.

"We're still trying to figure out how Bauer is hiding with every cop in the city looking for him, if you're ready to come back with us," said JJ.

"Right..." Ellen stared off into space for a moment, the wheels in her head visibly turning, not unlike when pretty boy Reid had an epiphany. "Oh! I know how he's doing it!"

As soon as they returned to the station, she grabbed as many people by the arm as she could as she walked straight to a whiteboard.

"Pierrot's a chameleon. He takes up personas, like me, but he changes his persona. He'll completely change his appearance to adapt to the new character he's playing. He's so insecure as himself that he has to be a character all the time. He always has to be in costume and change from time to time, or he'll lose his mind. That's why we haven't been able to find him. He's changed his appearance again. He wouldn't have just cut his hair or dyed it. He will have made himself into a totally different person. If we can figure out what his new character is, we can figure out how to find him."

She picked up a marker and began a rough sketch on the board.

"When I was with him, he was blonde, and he sometimes wore a trenchcoat with purple gloves. My best guess now is that he's going back to the original Pierrot costume. Look for men wearing lots of white, maybe with black buttons on his clothes. The Pierrot character sometimes wore a black cap on his head. He's probably dyed his hair black. This is probably why no one said they saw him at The Masquerade, too. He was there, but no one recognized him. We need to go to the Masquerade!"

The room was silent for a moment.

"Okay. What do we need to go undercover?" asked Hotch.

* * *

"To get into The Masquerade, you have to wear some kind of costume or avant-garde clothing. I'll help with that part. And because of his fixation on clowns, he will probably show favoritism to those dressed like them, although many people at The Masquerade dress like clowns. So sorry, boys, you're going to have to put on some makeup."

"No problem," said Reid, "One question, though. Where are we going to find clown costumes on such short notice?"

"The same place where I get my costumes for cheap. Thrift stores."

Ellen had the time of her life designing the looks for Spencer, JJ, and Morgan. She insisted upon doing all of it herself. JJ, even after having a baby, was the perfect model. Ellen put her in a blue dress to make her eyes pop out, gave her blue eye shadow, lipstick and hair extensions in her two ponytails. White bows, gloves, and knee-high fishnets perfected her look.

Morgan had to grin and bear it as Ellen put him in a black suit with gold, shimmery diamond shapes on his right side, and gold, angled stripes on his left side. To finish it, she forced some gold eyeliner on him, which she also used to draw curvy, upward lines at the corners of his mouth for a smile, and let him pick out which fedora he wanted. Penelope made sure to take plenty of pictures.

Finally, Spencer. Ellen took her time, making sure every piece fit him like a glove, and made his natural beauty even more obvious. She found him a white shirt with colorful diamond shapes all over it, a black vest, and red pants. Ellen hated to cover his perfect face with a small, black mask around his eyes, but if he was going to be posing as Ellen's date, they didn't want Pierrot to see his whole face, or he could become a target. Spencer provided his own different diamond pattern socks to for the final touch.

If Pierrot was going to be there, they didn't want him to recognize Ellen, at least until they were able to contain him, so Ellen mixed up her usual color palette a bit. Her dress was shiny. Blue on her left side, red on her right side, with matching arm warmers and bows around her ankles. Black leggings and white flats with sharp studs on them perfected the outfit. Finally, to help conceal her identity, she wore a white masquerade mask with blue and pink glitter, with extensive matching makeup underneath in case something would happen to the mask.

A few officers would be going in with them, and Ellen put them in more simple outfits only with colorful clothing. The rest of the BAU and officers on the case would be hiding outside as backup. Those going undercover hid microphones and in their costumes, and then they were ready to go.

As Ellen helped Spencer adjust his vest, she resisted her urge to let her let her hands rest on his chest. No more calling him "sweet thing" with a girlfriend in the picture.

"If Pierrot discovers us, you have to play the role of Harlequin. That's why I dressed you in this outfit. You have to pretend like you're trying to steal me away from him. He's under these delusions that I'm his wife, and the best way to distract him long enough to catch him is to play into the fantasy. He will probably become very agitated and aggressive, but he'll be too upset to think clearly. That'll give us time for somebody to disarm him and cuff him. And be careful."

She couldn't resist patting him on the shoulder one time before going on to spread the message to the rest of the team. Just as soon as she left, Hotch and Morgan came up to Reid.

"Guys, are we sure about this plan?"

"It's not ideal. There are a lot of variables and things that could go wrong, but this seems like the best way we can catch Bauer without letting him escape and with the fewest number of casualties. He won't want to harm his patrons, but he'd show no remorse if we were to confront him out in the open with civilians nearby," answered Hotch.

"Alright, but don't expect me to dress like this for the job ever again," Morgan teased.

"What? I thought you liked eyeliner." Hotch teased back in a rare moment of levity.

"Okay, let's get this over with."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Fear not, fans of Derek Morgan. The tension between the characters will not last forever.


	3. Moonage Daydream

JJ and Morgan entered the club first, then Ellen and Reid a bit later. Despite all the glitter and feathers all around, Derek didn't take long before he was "getting his groove thing going" as he would say.

"The Masquerade" really was an appropriate name for the nightclub.

The floor was colored like a chess board, with twinkly lights hanging over it from the ceiling. Balloons, confetti, glittery masks, and feathers were scattered all across the floor and tables. Small chandeliers dangled down from the ceiling and made it look like stars in the night sky, and where there weren't chandeliers, there were ceiling drapes that resembled a circus tent. And where the twinkly lights didn't make enough light, real candles took over. Images of clowns, jesters, playing cards, and masks decorated the walls.

The undercover agents were a bit tense at first, still shocked by the appearances of the other patrons. Some of them had their whole bodies painted or tattooed in various colors. Others wore costumes so large and extravagant that you had to struggle to squeeze past them. Dress up, dress down, it didn't matter, as long as you were wearing something fun. A small coven of girls dressed as witches made their way over to Morgan as he dominated the dance floor. He was visibly uncomfortable, maybe even frightened by them, but he played along to keep his cover.

Spencer was no more comfortable than Derek, but Ellen was having the time of her life. Since they were playing a couple, Ellen could get as close to him as she wanted and say it was all part of the act. She dragged him out to the dance floor and guided him with her own body as they moved in sync to the music. Of course, he seemed a bit nervous at first, but he let her pull him close to her and she buried her face in his shoulder. He felt warm and soft, a sad reminder of what she couldn't have.

This Maeve bitch better be grateful, she thought before something caught her eye.

Him, the man in the corner. He was pale-faced, with a teardrop painted under one of his eyes. He had jet black hair and wore all white, except for his black shoes and suit buttons. It was him. It was Pierrot, unmistakably, now that she examined his face. He seemed unaware of her presence in the club. Good. She signaled Reid and the others.

Pierrot was near a private booth. The BAU members and Ellen danced their way over to the bar, where Ellen slipped JJ a napkin inconspicuously.

 _"Go flirt with him. He'll like you. That'll distract him so we can get our people into position to make the arrest."_ it read.

Quickly, JJ made her way over to Pierrot, where he was chatting with one of the patrons. She batted her eyes and stood in a way that showed off her statuesque body. Ellen could see in his eyes that he was intrigued by her. "Let's move," Ellen said to Spencer.

They, along with Morgan and the rest of the undercover officers casually moved in closer to Pierrot. Morgan reached for his gun, and almost had it out, but Pierrot had his out faster, and his was stuck onto JJ's ribs.

"Drop the weapon!" Morgan shouted.

"No, you drop yours," said Pierrot in a calm, elegant voice. With his other hand, he pulled out what looked like a detonator to a bomb.

Morgan raised his hands, backed up slowly, and put down his gun, but all of the other agents and police officers were already moving in and getting everyone else safely out of the club.

Hotch was close enough to speak to him by now. "What is that device in your hand?" he asked calmly.

"It's a detonator to a bomb in the subway, and another one here," Pierrot answered.

"Mr. Bauer, you don't have to do this."

"Oh, shut up. My name is Pierrot. Where's Collie?" he turned and looked directly at Ellen. "It's you, isn't it? Hello, Collie," he said, like she was a collie dog.

"Hey, asshole. How did the Psych Hospital Presidential Suite treat you?" she retorted.

"Not as good as I'm going to treat you," he answered seductively, "Maybe if you come over here and give me a kiss, I might think about letting your little friend here go."

"What? Have you gotten tired of making out with your pillows?"

He chuckled a deep, sinister chuckle. "I knew I was going to have to cut that smart mouth off you sometime."

"Enough," Hotch said. "You wanted to see Miss Rivers. Now she's right here. You've got what you wanted. Now you can let the girl go."

Pierrot chuckled again, "You have no idea what I want."

"But I do," spoke up Reid. He put down his weapon too and slowly stepped closer to Pierrot. "I know that you want Columbina, and that you'll do anything to get her."

"And how come you're such an expert?" asked Pierrot.

"Because I'm Harlequin," said Reid with more confidence.

Pierrot narrowed his eyes in loathing.

"But she doesn't want you," Reid continued, "She wants me. Isn't that right?"

"Oh, yes," answered Ellen.

"Nononononononono!" said Pierrot, starting to lose control. It seemed the plan was working just fine. "Here, have your girl," he released JJ, but still held up the detonator, "Everybody out except Collie!"

"You know we can't do that," said Hotch.

"I SAID OUT!" he shouted.

"I'll stay with her," volunteered Reid, "Just the two of us in here. The rest of you can get to safety."

"Reid, no," said Morgan.

"Just do it. It's the only way," Reid responded, hoping that he could talk his way out of whatever happened next.

Reluctantly, the other agents and officers left them alone, so it was just Ellen, Spencer, Pierrot, and the three men with guns that he called in as soon as the others left.

"Sit down," Pierrot ordered Ellen and Reid.

"Go fuck yourself," Ellen replied. "You really need three other armed men to control two unarmed people? You're a goddam pussy," she said, hoping that the others would hear from her microphone that Pierrot wasn't alone.

"Just do it, Collie," said Reid, feeling uncomfortable that he had to use Pierrot's pet name for her to get under his skin.

"Oh, okay. If _you_ say so," she said, before hopping into a booth seat across from him.

"You know," Spencer began, "I'm really the one you should be angry with. I stole your wife away from you. She was just powerless to me."

Ellen could see what Spencer was doing, and he wasn't going to let him get away with it. She was not going to let another bully hurt him again. "No, he's full of shit. He's just lying to distract you. He has a girlfriend. Her name is Maeve."

"No, I don't" Spencer said, mustering up the courage to say the next words, "Maeve is dead."

Ellen thought her heart would stop right there.

"See? Columbina had an affair with me. I'm the one you should punish."

Pierrot pulled at his hair in confusion and frustration. "Just shut up! Shut up!" He signaled for one of his men to come to him. He put something in Pierrot's hand. He held it out to Ellen, "Here, take this pill."

"Don't do it, please!" Reid begged her.

"Do it, bitch!" Pierrot shouted as he pointed his gun at Spencer's head.

Seeing that she didn't have much of a choice, she made sure to get in one last snarky comment. "If this kills me, I'm gonna haunt your ass until you blow your brains out." Then she swallowed the pill.

Pierrot laughed again and Reid was nearly in tears.

Ellen could already feel her body weakening. With her remaining strength and one last affectionate look at Spencer she said, "Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick," and she fell over onto the seat.

Without hesitation, Pierrot signalled his men to drag Ellen away, and he hit Reid across the head with his gun. Just after Ellen was dragged out the back door, and just before Reid could be shot in the head, the police rushed into the building. Pierrot's goon squad had to pull him away from Spencer and out the door to keep him from getting caught or shot by the police. In a van, they sped away with Ellen as the police shot and shot at them, but the car seemed to be bulletproof.

As Reid regained consciousness on the nightclub floor, he immediately asked the nearest face, David Rossi, "Where is she? What happened to her?" breathing quickly and shaking wildly.

"Kid, I'm sorry. He got her. He got her."


	4. Ashes to Ashes

"Spence, Spence, Spencer!" JJ had to shout to shake him out of his thoughts. "We have a lead. We're going to find her." She patted him on the back comfortingly.

Only, he didn't want to be comforted now. He wanted to find Ellen. She was the one who needed help, not him. But most of all, he didn't want another girl to be killed by her abductor because of him. Of course Maeve had been a helpless creature. She had no clue how to help herself, and relied on him completely. Ellen had been around violence most of her life. That was a good thing now. It was what gave her a fighting chance. She just needed enough time before they could find her.

"This was delivered to the police station," said JJ. It was a tablet, with live footage of Ellen on it. The team gathered around her to watch.

Ellen was unconscious tied to a chair. It seemed that Pierrot had put a little clown hat on her head while she was out. They couldn't tell exactly where she was just by the background of the video, but it looked like she was in some kind of storage unit. Though this didn't help much because there were dozens of storage unit facilities in the Chicago area. The walls of the unit were covered in red and white drapes, and in the back was a red satin sheet bed.

A shadow was cast across the floor as a figure stepped behind the camera. Then Pierrot stepped into view, now in full costume. He wore white, baggy pants, a white flowing shirt with three black circles going up and down the front. On his pale face was thick, black eyeliner, lipstick, and a teardrop. He took his time as he moved, taunting the camera, then stood over Ellen and set his hands on her legs, feeling her inner thighs. Spencer tensed up and clenched his fists.

"Garcia, can you get their location?" asked Hotch.

"No, sir. He's stopping me from finding them," she answered frantically, "I could get it if I had some time, but she can't wait that long."

"That's okay. There are other ways to find it. Search for storage units in the Chicago area that have been rented within the last 10 weeks."

"That narrows it down to about 200."

Spencer thought about something Ellen has said before. " _His affinity for clowns has taken up his whole life. He dresses in clown-themed clothes all the time, gives his men clown aliases..."_

"Garcia, cross reference that list with units under the names Paul Legrand or Charles Deburau."

Penelope's fingers moved fast as lightning, then she said, "There's no matches for that, but there is one unit under the name of Charles Legrand."

"That's him," said Spencer.

"How do you know?" asked Morgan.

"Those were both actor famous for playing the Pierrot character."

"I've got the address!" shouted Garcia. "I'm sending it to you right now. Go! Go! Go!"

They watched the live video as their cars raced to the location. Ellen had regained consciousness and spat in Pierrot's face, making him smear some of his makeup, which aggravated him.

He slapped her across the face in retaliation.

"Is that what you did to all the other girls? Tried to scare them into submission? You couldn't get a date with them, so you waved a gun at them until they said yes. You goddamn coward!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, pulling at his hair.

"I know you feel so insecure about yourself that you had to rape them and kill them to prove how powerful you are. I also know you're never going to feel any better. Killing people won't make you feel better. Neither will having money or wearing costumes. You don't feel comfortable in your own skin, and that will never change."

He pulled out a knife and waved it in front of her face. Ellen tried not to show any fear. She had seen weapons in her face before, but her heart beat was starting to race.

Pierrot took the knife and cut the ropes on her and dragged her over to the bed. She was still too drugged to move much, but had plenty energy to say, "Get the fuck away from me, you David Bowie wannabe! You'll never be as cool as him!"

"That's enough talking," Pierrot said, trying to compose himself. He hovered over her and clenched his hand over her jaw as she struggled. With his other hand, he made a small slice on her tongue.

"Don't pretend like you don't want this," he hissed as he made a cut in her dress across the stomach. He caressed her newly-exposed skin with his thumb. "And don't pretend like you don't remember all those nights you spent with me."

"You mean like that night you passed out drunk and I stole all your money? Yeah. I remember that clear as day. I still have some of the money I got from pawning off your watch."

As the pill was beginning to wear off, she kneed him in the ribs and he recoiled in pain. She giggled, but he soon recovered and tied one of her hands to a bedpost. Then, she heard the beautifully musical sound of gunshots just outside. Looks like Pierrot's goon squad was all gone.

As she expected, he held the knife to her throat as Morgan broke down the door and shouted, "FBI! Drop your weapon!"

"It's over, Pierrot," said Reid, stepping forward. "Columbina's mine now."

"Harlequin," he said, before dropping his knife. Ellen instantly untied herself.

Spencer moved to handcuff Pierrot, but Ellen noticed something unusual. She didn't have enough time to warn, "Look out!" before Pierrot took out another knife from in his costume.

He jammed the knife up underneath Spencer's bullet-proof vest, and was promptly shot by Morgan. He collapsed onto the floor and stayed there.

Ellen caught Spencer as his legs became shaky and he couldn't stand up straight. Soon he was on the floor too, with his back resting against her chest and head on her shoulder.

"It's okay Spencer. Everything's alright. You're safe now." This was looking very familiar, and Spencer was once again a child in her arms. She removed her arm warmers and pressed them over the wound. Although his vision was becoming blurry already, when he looked at her arms, he could see why she always wore arm warmers.

Ellen couldn't hold the tears back this time as the team circled around them and watched her holding onto him, while calling in the paramedics frantically.

"You're gonna be okay. I love you Spencer," she whimpered as the medics got to him.

"Miss, we need you to step back. He's going to be fine."

She let him go, but stayed as close as possible as they worked to care for him. She took one last look at Pierrot, whose nice white costume was becoming soaked in his crimson blood. As much as she hated him, he still looked oddly beautiful lying there under the lamp on the carnival floor.

If only, she thought. So many things had gone wrong to lead to this moment. If only.


	5. Perfect Day

**Author's Note:** Get ready for some fluff! :) Thank you for reading.

* * *

Spencer woke to the late morning sunlight washing over his bedroom floor. He'd dreamt of a circus where the ringmaster had been cracking a whip at him, but then he was saved by a clown in a red dress. The last few hours had been a blur for him. He remembered catching Bauer. He remembered bright lights, from the hospital, he assumed. And he remembered Ellen being with him. He looked around the room and found that he was alone, and his heart sank a bit.

What was he expecting? he asked himself. It was too much to ask any human being to be with him every minute of the day. He made himself settle for solitude.

"Hi," Ellen said, startling him out of his thoughts. "I heard you like Jello, so I pretty much bought out the whole store." She set a tray full of Jello next to him on the bed.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, he was glad that she had stayed.

"Oh. Thank you."

"Ah-ah-ah. Don't you dare get out of bed. You're getting the full coddling treatment today. Doctor's orders."

"No doctor would order that from wounds as minor as these," he teased.

"Well then they're my orders. I don't want you popping your stitches open and bleeding all over the bed. Believe me, blood is a bitch to clean out of white sheets."

"Are you okay?" he asked seemingly out of the blue.

"What?"

"I was in a similar situation as you were, about seven years ago. I just mean, if you need to talk, I'm here."

He was so cute when he's nervous.

Ellen chuckled. "Thank you, but I'm fine, really. I knew I had the best team in the world helping me, and I knew Pierrot. I knew how to stall him long enough until you could get there. I probably could have kicked his ass anyway if I'd had more time."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever have any real feelings for him?"

Ellen sighed, "I had feelings for the person he could've been. If he hadn't hurt all those innocent people, then I probably would've fallen in love with him on the first date. Now can I ask _you_ a question?"

"Anything."

"Why didn't you tell me your old girlfriend was dead?"

He took a deep breath before answering, "I just couldn't say the words yet. You know..."

"I understand."

He sounded more sure of himself this time, "But now I think I'm ready to move on."

"Okay," she replied softly, secretly rejoicing in her mind. "Well, since you're not allowed back at work for a couple days, do you wanna take a day to just... be happy?"

"I think I'd like that."

They spent their hours, seemingly endless, roaming the city parks like any two friends. They took it slow in case Spencer needed to save his strength, although he assured her that he was fine. He enjoyed the sun and fresh air. It was like they blinked, and then it was dusk and they had to return to his home.

"Are you feeling tired at all? It's been a long day."

"Actually, no. I feel great," he answered. He took his satchel off his shoulders, and when she had her back turned to him, he removed _The Narrative of John Smith_ and put it in a drawer. He would take it out every now and then and remember, but at this moment, he felt he didn't need it anymore.

"Are you sure, because you've yawned five times in the last two minutes."

"Okay, maybe a little bit."

As he got settled into bed with her assistance, she asked him the question she'd had on her mind all day long. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Spencer blinked anxiously. "Um I suppose so. I mean, there is a risk with germs, but it'll help build up our immunity. Not that your mouth is full of germs. That's not what I meant."

" _Spencer,_ it's okay," she said before silencing him with a kiss. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that."

After catching his breath, Spencer said, "Can you do it again?"

"Of course." And she obeyed his wishes, for much longer this time. "I remember when we were children, the idea of a 14-year-old kissing a 12-year-old seemed disgusting. Now our age difference doesn't matter at all."

Spencer smiled in remembrance. "No, it doesn't." And he kissed back more vigorously than he had anticipated.

"Woah, slow down there, tiger," she teased. "Why don't you get some rest, then we'll see what other adventures the night can bring."

Spencer didn't mind at all. Ellen was there beside him, holding him. It seemed the world couldn't get any more perfect. He fell asleep in her arms, and for once, felt content.

* * *

It was only about 11 in the evening when Spencer woke up feeling refreshed with a smile on his face. Before opening his eyes, he felt around for Ellen, but found that she was gone. He sat up and looked around for her, but didn't see her anywhere.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I was just washing up. Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you. There's one thing I need, though. Can you help me change my bandages?"

"Sure."

He removed his shirt, a sight which she savored. She removed the old bandage, and stuck a new clean one on tight, letting her hands linger on his skin a little longer. He smiled and she playfully kissed over the bandage. "It's already looking better."

"Thank you for all your help," said Spencer.

"It's nothing. You're worth it. And don't forget, you helped me too."

"I was only doing my job," he said humbly.

"No, you go above and beyond every day. How did I get so lucky to find a friend like you?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Well, since we lived in the same town and went to the same school in the same classes for a while, it was actually pretty likely that we would grow close to each other," Spencer informed her.

Ellen giggled pecked little kisses all over his face, and Spencer pulled her in closer. She twirled her fingers in his hair, "Do you know how beautiful you are? You're so beautiful."

And as you can imagine, one thing led to another, and let's just say that Ellen was soon very glad that she had packed red and black lingerie in her go bag.

* * *

For the third time, Spencer woke up without Ellen by his side. He stepped out of bed into the gold, morning light, half expecting her to be in the front room, prancing around in her full costume. Yet, she was not there. He checked all the other rooms, yet she wasn't there. All there was, all he had left of her was a note.

 _"Sorry, Harlequin. Our show was fun, but now I think you're ready to carry it on without Columbina. It's better that way. Sorry I couldn't stay for an encour. You're going to be great. Stay gold."_

If Ellen had known that two other people he loved had walked out of Spencer's life by leaving him with a note, she wouldn't have done this. If only she had known. If only.

Spencer showed up to work that day and did his job like always, saved lives, made genius deductions, and tried to make sure his friends never noticed anything different about him. If they asked questions, he simply answered them with as little detail as possible.

"It's just stress."

"I'm just tired."

"This case is just hard for me."

Day by day, he learned to accept it, and after a while, he almost thought of his day with Ellen as a good dream he'd once had. And then, one day, he got a phone call at his desk at work.

 _"Spencer."_

He recognized her voice immediately. "Ellen!" he softened his voice so no one would hear him. "Ellen, what are you doing?" he tried to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Spencer, I need to tell you something."

"It's okay. I'm not mad that you left with just a note. Okay, I was a little mad at first, but now I'm just happy to hear your voice." He spoke quickly, as if he knew that his brief time with her could end at any moment.

"I know. I'm really sorry about that, but that's not what I was talking about."

"Do you need help with another case? I could let Hotch know, and we could be there in just a few hours..."

"No, I don't need help with a case."

"Are you sure? It really wouldn't be any trouble."

"No, no, Spencer."

"Tell me where you are. I'll come see you on my own if I have to."

"Spencer, I'm pregnant!"

* * *

"Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things? You're still the same old girl you used to be." - Don Henley and Glenn Frey


End file.
